THE ROLE OF CONSTITUENCY OFFICES IN ENHANCING DEMOCRACY AND COMMUNICATION BETWEEN MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT AND THEIR ELECTORATES: THE CASE OF CONSTITUENCY

BY

KASHIMBI LIMATA

A report submitted to the University of in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Communication for Development

THE UNIVERSITY OF ZAMBIA

LUSAKA

©2015

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Declaration

I make the declaration that this report has not been submitted for a degree at the University of Zambia or any other university before.

Name…………………………………………………….

Signature………………………………………………..

Date………………………………………………………

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Certificate of Approval

Supervisor………………………………………………..

Signature…………………………………………………

Date……………………………………………………….

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Acknowledgements

I wish to thank my supervisor, Mr. F Muzyamba for his guidance during the formulation of the research proposal and the subsequent preparation of the report. The valuable amount of time spent in guiding me will never be replaced but the knowledge gained will certainly go a long way in my humble serve to this great nation.

Acknowledgements also go the course coordinator Mr. Mukungu and other members of staff in the department of Mass Communication who imparted knowledge to me during the course of study. These include Dr. M Bwalya and Dr. S Phiri.

My gratitude also goes to Hon. Given Lubinda, Minister of Agriculture and Livestock and Member of Parliament for Kabwata Constituency for allowing me to be attached at the Constituency Office in order to have first-hand experience on the operations of the Constituency Office. My thanks also go to Mrs. Rachel Mwanagombe, the Professional Assistant and Mr. Friday Shanzala, the Administrative Assistant at Kabwata Constituency Office for providing me with the necessary information I needed during my research.

I also wish to thank all the respondents who took time off their busy schedule to complete the questionnaires which provided me with vital information for my study.

Finally I wish to thank my sisters Sepiso, Monde, Gloria, Penelope and Mulela, my brothers Jack, Steve, Michael and Silula for their support and my employers the National Assembly of Zambia for granting me the study leave in which I undertook my study. To them and all those that I have mentioned above I can only wish them well and God’s rich blessings.

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Dedication

I dedicate this degree to the two dearest people in my life. These are my parents Mr. Martin Fundweta Limata and Mrs. Alexina Malungwe Limata. May God continue to watch over them.

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Abstract

This study sought to examine the role of Kabwata Constituency Office in enhancing democracy and communication between the Member of Parliament and the constituents in Kabwata, Lusaka. The constituency offices were established as part of the parliamentary reforms which the National Assembly embarked on with the re- introduction of Multi-party democracy in 1991. The offices aim at improving the constituent-Member relations and also to enhance the representative functions of Members of Parliament.

The study was done using in depth interviews with two key stakeholders and a quantitative survey method of 100 constituents selected using clustered methodology.

The results from the study revealed that majority of the people knew of the existence of the office. However, despite this only very few had visited the constituency office. The study further revealed that this could be attributed to the lack of adequate sensitisation programmes on the existence and purpose of the office. The study revealed that more still needs to be done if the offices are to fully serve their intended purpose. The study further revealed that there was need to engage the people so that they fully understand their role in the operations of the constituency office. Enhanced sensitisation campaigns therefore, need to be undertaken. This also calls for enough resources to be allocated to the constituency offices in order for them to be able to carry out sensitisation campaigns.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Item Page

Declaration ii

Certificate of Approval iii

Acknowledgments iv

Dedication v

Abstract vi

Table of Contents vii

List of Tables xi

List of Figures xiii

List of Abbreviations xiv

CHAPTER ONE-INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

1.0 Introduction 1

1.1 General Overview of Zambia 4

1.2 Population 4

1.3 Languages 5

1.4 Administration 6

1.5 Religion 6

1.6 Political Background 6

1.7 Economy 7

1.8 Poverty 7

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1.9 Overview of the Zambian Parliament 8

1.9.1 Location 8

1.9.2 Historical Development of the Zambian Parliament 9

1.10 Overview of Kabwata Constituency 11

1.10.1 Location 11

1.10.2 Population 11

1.11 Functions of Parliamentary Constituency Offices 12

1.12 Benefits of Parliamentary Constituency Offices 13

1.13 The role of the citizenry in the operations of the Constituency

Offices 15

1.14 Problem Statement 15

1.15 Rationale for the study 15

1.16 Objectives

1.16.1 General Objective 17

1.16.2 Specific Objectives 17

1.17 Research Questions 17

1.18 Hypothesis 18

1.19 Scope of the study 18

1.20 Ethical Considerations 18

1.21 Limitations of the study 18

CHAPTER TWO- LITERATURE REVIEW

Study by Caritus Zambia on the pilot project of Constituency Offices 20

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Study by Caritus Zambia on the extent to which Constituency

Offices were answering to the connectivity needed between the electorate and parliament and the MPs on the other hand 21

Strengthening parliamentary democracy in SADC Countries, 2005

Zambia Country Report 22

The Low Road to Democratic Reform: Constituency Offices,

Public Service Provision and Citizen Engagement 23

CHAPTER THREE-CONCEPTUAL AND THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

3.0 Introduction 26

3.1 Conceptual definitions 26

3.1.1 Democracy 26

3.1.2 Communication 28

3.1.3 Participatory Development 28

3.2 Main Theory

3.2.1 Participatory Communication Theory 29

3.3 Other theories supporting the main theory

3.3.1 Participatory Communication Appraisal 30

3.3.2 Uses and Gratification Theory 31

CHAPTER FOUR- METHODOLOGY

4.0 Introduction 33

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4.1 Research Methods 33

4.1.1 Quantitative Survey 33

4.1.2 In Depth Interview 34

4.1.3 Document Review of the visitor’s register 34

4.2 Population 34

4.3 Sample Size 35

4.4 Sampling Procedure 35

4.5 Method of data gathering 35

4.6 Data analysis 35

CHAPTER FIVE: RESEARCH FINDINGS

5.0 Introduction 37

5.1 Quantitative Survey 37

5.2 Qualitative Survey 51

5.2.1 In depth interviews 51

5.2.2 Statistical Review of the visitor’s register 54

CHAPTER SIX: DISCUSSION OF RESULTS

6.0 Introduction 56

6.1 Awareness of the constituents on the existence and purpose

of the Constituency Office 56

6.2 Levels of utilisation and effectiveness of the office in responding

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to the needs of the constituents 58

6.3 Extent to which people of different sex are aware of the

existence of the Constituency Office 60

6.4 Interaction of the MP and the constituents before and after

the introduction of the Constituency Offices 61

6.5 Extent to which the Constituency Office remain politically neutral 63

6.6 Nature of the channels and messages used by the MP to

communicate with the constituents 63

CHAPTER SEVEN: RECOMMENDATIONS, FUTURE RESEARCH AND CONCLUSION

7.0 Introduction 66

7.1 Recommendations 66

7.2 Future Research 67

7.3 Conclusion 68

BIBLIOGRAPHY 69

APPENDICES 73

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List of Tables

Page

Population of Kabwata Constituency according to the 2010 Census 11

Distribution of questionnaires 33

Do you know your Member of Parliament 35

Do you know the role of a Member of Parliament 36

Do you know of the Constituency Office 36

What do you think is the purpose of the Constituency Office 37

How is notification on the activities and operations of the

Constituency Office done 38

How would you prefer notifications on the operations of the operations of the Constituency Office done 39

Has the office been an access point for communication about problems of the community 40

Has the office been an access point for learning from the

Member of Parliament and the office about new ideas, programmes and new ways of doing things 40

Does the Member of Parliament give answers to questions through the office 40

Have you ever visited the Constituency Office 41

If your answer to question 22 is No, why 42

What was the nature of your visit 43

Who did you meet at the Constituency Office 43

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To what extent were you satisfied with the Constituency Office in meeting your expectation when you visited 44

To what extent has the Constituency Office enhanced communication between the constituents and the MP 45

To what extent was the communication between the MP and the constituents before the opening of the Constituency Office 45

Do you know your MP 46

Do you know of the Constituency Office 47

Have you ever visited the Constituency Office 48

If your answer to question 22 is No, why 57

To what extent has the Constituency Office enhanced

Communication between the constituents and the MP 59

To what extent was the communication between the MP and the constituents before the opening of the constituency office 59

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List of Figures

Page

Map of Zambia 5

Parliament Buildings 8

Map of Lusaka District 14

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LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS

ANC African National Congress

ARC African Representative Council

BSAC British South African Company

CCJDP Catholic Centre for Justice, Development and Peace

CSO Central Statistical Office

ECZ Electoral Commission of Zambia

GDP Gross Domestic Product

IMF International Monetary Fund

IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union

LCMS Living Conditions Monitory Survey

MMD Movement for Multi-party Democracy

MP Member of Parliament

NPP National Progressive Party

PRMC Parliamentary Reform and Modernisation Committee

PRP Parliamentary Reform Programme

PF

SADC Southern African Development Community

SPSS Statistical Package for Social Science

UNDP United Nations Development Programme

UNIP United National Independence Party

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